ATLANTA , Georgia -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- You are about to meet Mr. Brown .

David Mann and Tamela Mann -- a real-life couple -- star in `` Meet the Browns '' as father and daughter .

He 's David Mann , star of the TBS sitcom `` Tyler Perry 's Meet the Browns . ''

To borrow a phrase from the network 's marketing -- he 's very funny .

Mann 's character -- `` Downtown '' Leroy Brown -- is a lovable , sometimes outrageous and always off-the-wall senior citizen who has stolen every scene he 's entered in Tyler Perry 's plays , movies and TV shows .

Mr. Brown no longer has to steal scenes , because TBS -- owned by CNN parent company Time Warner -- has ordered 80 episodes of half-hour comedy , based on the success of 10 pilot episodes .

`` Just in case I 'm dreaming , do n't pinch me , '' said Mann . `` I 'm living the dream . ''

`` Meet the Browns '' is a spinoff of Perry 's `` House of Payne , '' a sitcom that has yielded strong cable ratings for TBS , and it employs some of the same characters seen in Perry 's movies and stage plays -- including a play and film named `` Meet the Browns , '' which is only mildly related to the TV series .

The show focuses on Mr. Brown and his daughter Cora , played by Mann 's real-life wife , Tamela Mann , as Mr. Brown tries to turn his house into a home for the elderly .

Those who have followed Perry 's productions know that Cora was the conceived during a brief fling between Brown and Madea , Perry 's female alter ego .

`` If it had n't been for Cora , Mr. Brown and Madea probably would have killed each other by now , '' Mann said . `` Cora is the glue to this whole thing . Cora keeps everybody grounded . ''

Mann said Mr. Brown 's speech and mannerisms are from a combination of people .

`` Grandfathers , uncles , relatives , you know , different friends you see . '' he said . `` I use to go to a nursing home and just look at people , watch -- ` OK , that 's how they 're doing this . ' ''

His biggest laughs come from his use -- or abuse -- of the English language which Mann refers to as `` Mr. Brownisms . ''

Manipulate becomes `` manipudip , '' while hypnotize transforms to `` hepatitis . ''

`` You hear them as I spit them out , and it 's just like , ` What was I thinking ? ' '' Mann said .

Mr. Brown 's wardrobe , which is always two sizes too small for his protruding belly , is a bright-colored mix of thrift store specials .

`` The clothes just kind of happened , '' he said . `` Because , you know , you have that uncle or that relative in your family who just ca n't let the clothes go ? ''

Since Mr. Brown originated on the stage -- in Perry productions -- Mann had to adjust to the small screen .

`` I 'm very animated and so I just had to make sure I toned that down for the screen because I 'm so used to making sure that the person in the front row can see as well as the person in the balcony , '' he said . `` To bring that and condense it down for television was a transition for me . ''

Camera operators are challenged to keep up with Mann as he moves around the set , sometimes re-writing the script .

`` One word can trigger a whole different thing with us , and that 's what I love about working with Tyler Perry , '' Mann said . `` He gives you the freedom to go in there and create . If you see something that can make it funnier , he gives you the liberty to go ahead and do it , create it and make it funny . ''

Perry directs every episode at his new Atlanta studio on a sound stage next to where he also tapes `` House of Payne . ''

Mr. Brown never seems too far from Mr. Mann .

In mid-interview , he emerges .

`` Oh , he can come out any time , '' Mann , speaking as Brown , said . `` All you got tuh do is say it , and he 'll come . Yeap , Mr. Brown is always ` round somewhere . You jes ' got tuh belieeeeeve . ''

The character is played about 30 years older than Mann , which causes some confusion out of costume and in public , he said .

`` What 's funny is when people see me out they 're like , ` Are you Mr. Brown 's son ? ' No , I 'm Mr. Brown , '' he said . `` But that 's good for the makeup team . ''

Perhaps the most awkward time is when he is on the set , dressed as Mr. Brown , and he wants to show his wife , Tamela Mann , some husbandly affection .

`` She is like , ` When you put that makeup on , you are Mr. Brown , you 're not my husband . ' '' he said . `` So , she does n't want me kissing on her and stuff . She says ` it 's like a dirty old man kissing and hugging on me . ' ''

You can also see Mr. Brown in `` Tyler Perry 's Madea Goes To Jail , '' which hit theaters last month and has been a rousing success at the box office .

`` They finally got Madea , '' Mann said . `` She 's been to jail a few times , but this time Madea goes to prison -- or as Mr. Brown would say , ` prisnuh . ' ''

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David Mann plays Mr. Brown in `` Meet the Browns ''

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Character known for his mangled speech , off-the-wall actions

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In real life , Mann is married to actress who plays his daughter on show